U-Haul: The 80-Year Story of America's DIY Moving Brand

By EPR Editorial Team

Originally published November 2014. Updated October 12, 2026 with figures from U-Haul Holding Company's fiscal 2026 annual report.

U-Haul is the do-it-yourself moving and storage brand that its parent, U-Haul Holding Company (NYSE: UHAL), calls North America's largest. According to the company's fiscal 2026 annual report (year ended March 31, 2026), U-Haul earned $6.04 billion in revenue and rented a fleet of about 204,800 trucks, 136,600 trailers and 42,000 towing devices through more than 2,400 company-operated stores and over 23,000 independent dealers.

Part of EPR's Marketing coverage. See also: 25 moving company marketing campaigns that worked.

How did U-Haul start?

U-Haul was founded in 1945 as a sole proprietorship named U-Haul Trailer Rental Company, and the company says it has rented trailers ever since. From 1959 it rented trucks on a one-way and in-town basis exclusively through independent U-Haul dealers. In 1973 it began building a network of company-managed retail stores to sit alongside the dealer network.

Who owns U-Haul today?

U-Haul Holding Company, a Nevada corporation, owns U-Haul, and its voting common stock (UHAL) and non-voting common stock (UHAL.B) trade on the New York Stock Exchange. Edward J. Shoen is chairman and chief executive officer. The annual report says Willow Grove Holdings LP, together with Edward J. Shoen and Mark V. Shoen, owns about 50.1% of the voting common stock, which makes U-Haul Holding Company a "controlled company" under NYSE rules.

How large is U-Haul's fleet and network?

U-Haul's network combines company-operated stores with independent dealers, and both rent from the same equipment pool. Dealers receive equipment from the company and are paid a commission on the rentals they generate. The company reports that just under half of all U-Move rental revenue in fiscal 2026 came through the dealer network.

Source: U-Haul Holding Company annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026.

How does U-Haul make money?

U-Haul earned $6,037.8 million in consolidated revenue in fiscal 2026, up from $5,828.7 million a year earlier. Self-moving equipment rentals produced $3,811.9 million of that total, about 63%. Self-storage added $972.4 million (about 16%), moving and storage product sales added $329.6 million, and other revenue, driven mainly by the U-Box portable storage program, added $537.8 million. The Moving and Storage segment generated about 94.1% of consolidated net revenue, with the rest coming from the company's property and casualty and life insurance subsidiaries.

How big is U-Haul's self-storage business?

U-Haul's self-storage business operates 2,113 locations across 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces, according to its annual report. Self-storage revenue rose 8.3% in fiscal 2026 as average revenue per occupied square foot improved 5%, and the company added about 5.3 million net rentable square feet during the year, roughly 4.6 million of it newly developed. In its fiscal 2026 results release of May 27, 2026, U-Haul describes itself as the third largest self-storage operator in North America. The annual report names Public Storage, CubeSmart and Extra Space Storage as its largest self-storage competitors.

Who competes with U-Haul in truck rental?

U-Haul names Avis Budget Group and Penske Truck Leasing as its major national competitors in both in-town and one-way moving equipment rental. In the in-town market it also lists Enterprise Truck Rental, Turo, Lugg and GoShare. The annual report says the company competes on convenience of rental locations, availability of quality equipment, breadth of products and services, and total cost to the customer.

How does U-Haul market itself?

U-Haul states that its rental equipment is its best form of advertisement. The annual report lists its direct marketing as web-based initiatives, print and social media, trade events, television commercials, and movie and television cameos of its rental fleet and boxes. It also supports independent dealers through co-marketing.

The distinctive orange and white trucks and trailers, and the orange door self-storage units, are central brand assets. U-Haul says it has used trade dress featuring the color orange since 1945. In December 2024 it filed a lawsuit against Public Storage in the District of Arizona seeking a declaration that its use of orange does not infringe Public Storage's claimed rights, and the company says it expects to protect its use of the color.

Digital channels do much of the converting. The company names uhaul.com, the U-Haul app and its 1-800-GO-U-HAUL reservation line as major drivers of customer leads, and its Truck Share 24/7 system lets customers rent equipment from a mobile device without visiting a counter. Moving Help and U-Haul Storage Affiliates on uhaul.com work as online marketplaces that connect customers with independent service providers and independent storage operators.

How do AI answer engines affect U-Haul's marketing?

U-Haul's annual report identifies AI apps and chatbots as a growing channel in moving and storage. It states that customers increasingly use these tools to locate and compare moving and storage products, and that the company must adapt its marketing to reach customers on those platforms. For brands in the category, the practical step is to make sure that company-controlled pages, such as store listings, pricing and reservation information, state the same facts that appear in filings and press releases.